E! News has the exclusive first look at the latest poster for Thor: The Dark World, the highly anticipated sequel to Marvel's 2011's comic book blockbuster hit centering on the Asgardian hero.

The one-sheet shows Chris Hemsworth's Thor in protective mode as he holds his giant hammer in front of his ladylove, Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman, to keep her safe from an unseen force as all hell appears to break loose around them.

The poster hints at foreboding things to come in this follow up which finds the Norse god one year after the events of The Avengers reuniting with his earthbound squeeze to save the Nine Realms from an ancient enemy—Malekith, ruler of the Dark Elves.

As the supervillain aims to plunge the universe into darkness, it's up to Thor to stop him, but in doing so, he's forced to make the ultimate sacrifice.

He'll also no doubt have to answer for not dropping in to say hi to Jane during his stint in The Avengers. But of course, he cares deeply for her, as new footage previewed at Disney's D23 fan convention last month showed the Crown Prince taking Jane to Asgard after a mysterious energy took possession of her body.

Besides Jane, who's the fish out of water in this latest adventure, Thor's longtime nemesis, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), also returns—only this time he'll be joining forces with his adoptive brother for the epic battle against Malekith and company.

Thor: The Dark World, directed by Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones), storms its way into theaters on Nov. 8.

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